Depending on who you ask, Orion and his accessories are composed of eighteen
major star systems. These are the ones that make up the shape of the
constellation, and aren’t just in the vicinity somewhere. His belt is the
most famous component, but he also has a sword, a shield, and a club. As my
ancestors were looking up at the stars, they saw these images, and used them
to help navigate the world; in particular, the oceans. Their movements were
predictable, and reliable. Way back then, they believed that the stars in
any given constellation were close to one another, but of course, we now
know that they aren’t. Some of them are a couple hundred light years
from our point of origin, which is Earth, and some are well over a thousand.
Still, my peoples were reportedly mesmerized by Orion, and saw no reason to
not create a relationship amongst the individual stars that are not there
naturally. When the Earthans began to spread out to the stars, a special
group of colonists decided to focus exclusively on the stars in this one
constellation. Now, centuries later, every one of the major systems has been
settled, and falls under the rule of the Ouruanan Empire. Not all systems
came with terrestrial planets, so in those cases, we built them ourselves.
That has been my job for my entire adult life, to help construct an entirely
artificial world orbiting π6
Orionis. As a planetscaper—as we’re called—my
reward will be my own home on the colony, free of charge, and a steady
income for the rest of my life. It won’t be glamorous, but I can find a new
job if I want to, and upgrade later. I’m not sure about that yet. I’m a
simple man, so I don’t need much, and just the excitement of knowing that
I’m partially responsible for the land beneath my feet may be enough for me.
I’m in a stadium of thousands. Our leaders are about to announce if we’re
considered done yet. Of course, we’ll continue to build as our population
grows, but at some point, they have to decide that we’re officially on a
real planet, and not still in the main phase of the process. “Thank you all
for coming,” the Foreman begins. “I know you have all been eagerly awaiting
the results of our assessment. Can we call this a finished planet, or is
there more work to be done? Obviously, the work is never over, so what
you’re really asking is, can you retire? I’m pleased to announce that your
efforts have not been in vain, and that the main phase is indeed complete.”
The crowd cheers, grateful to finally live their lives on a fully
constructed world. Most of us probably won’t set one more foot on a
spacecraft or space station. We’re ready to breathe an atmosphere held in
place by gravity, and swim in the lakes. The Foreman holds up his hand,
instructing us to quiet down. “Unfortunately, I’m not sure you’ll want to
live here anymore. You can, if you want—it’s your choice—but it’s not going
to last you very long. As you know, we are at war with the Taurans. The
Emperor is interested in testing a new weapon that his top researchers have
devised that is capable of destroying an entire planet in a matter of
minutes. Due to the interstellar rules of engagement, we are only allowed to
test weapons in our own territory, lest we want to incur the wrath of the
Constellation Alliance. They’ve chosen our humble planet as their target.
Destruction is scheduled for two years from now. We apologize for the
inconvenience.” Two years, huh? That’s more than enough time for me to
perfect my orbital defense satellites. If they want to test that weapon,
they’ll have to go against me. The Ouranans may be going to war with itself.
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